Welcome Home
by Princess of Nightmares
Summary: Sissel is ten year old girl living in Rorikstead with her abusive father and twin sister. When she doesn't get the weeds out of the garden by sunset she has to run from her sister to avoid another beating. Little does she know that a chance encounter will soon change her life forever. Sissel will now take her fate into her own hands and find a new family. One-shot.


**A/N: This is my first fanfiction for the Elder Scrolls series. I haven't actually read any Elder Scroll stories just yet but I wanted to go ahead write my own. This will be a one-shot. This takes place in the Skyrim game. The main character for this story will be Sissel, a little girl from Rorikstead. Her dialogue interested me so I decided to make a story for her. The story will contain the Dragonborn. I will be basing the Dragonborn off my own character in the game (and I'll also be making my own colors that aren't available when you create your character). Oh and I have no idea what the inside of Sissel's house looks like so I'm just going to make it up.**

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**Welcome Home**

"_Murder's out of tune,_

_And sweet revenge grows harsh."_

~ William Shakespeare – Othello

Sissel panted as she finally found a spot between some rocks to hide. She was squished tightly between the two piles of rocks on either side of her but was shaded from the harsh glare of the setting sun by the little bit of cliff ledge that was above her.

She had to run up the hill to find this spot and it had wore her fragile body out – but it was worth it. It was worth it since she was able to get away from her devil of a sister. Her sister, Britte, had been going on about how she was suppose to weed the garden by sunset. Sissel had gotten most of the weeds out but it was tiring work so she decided to take a break and finish up her work tomorrow. This made her sister angry and she ended up getting chased.

Sissel couldn't take another beating. Her body still had bruises recovering from the last time her sister had beat her, and that didn't even take into consideration the ones her father, Lemkil, had given her. She didn't understand why her father and twin sister hated her so much, maybe there was something wrong with her. Whatever the reason, she needed a break.

Sissel caught her breath and then listened, wanting to make sure her sister hadn't followed her up the hill. Once she was sure there was no one around she wiggled free of her hiding spot and looked around. The sun was nearly gone so it was mostly dark. Everyone would be heading into their homes or the inn right about now. If she waited a bit longer her father and sister would soon be in bed and she could just sneak into the house and avoid another beating, at least for right now.

The young girl sighed and ran a hand through her shoulder length blond hair. It was soft but covered in a thin layer of sweat from running and working all day. She wiped her hand on her red dress and let out another sigh. She really needed to wash her dress, but she didn't have another one to wear and she knew Britte would never let her borrow a dress.

Sissel began walking up the hill a little more, following the dirt road that had been paved. She went up far enough that she could see the small town she lived in. She hated it; she wanted to leave. The only thing keeping her there was Jouane Manette, the man teaching her how to use magic. Sissel was able to grasp the concept of magic and how it worked rather easy. Jouane said she seemed to possess a talent for it. So far she was able to to basic Conjuring and Illusion spells but she wanted to learn Destruction spells. Fire to be more exact. Jouane was reluctant to actually teach her any sort Destruction spell but he had done it anyways. He only taught her enough so that she could light a candle – but she wanted more! She could feel it inside her. She could feel that she was capable of so much more!

Sissel made a tiny flame, catching a leaf on fire. She watched it for a while, transfixed by the small dancing flame. She was so absorbed in watching it burn she didn't hear the wolf that had spotted her. She turned just in time to see it lunge at her. She shrieked and put her hands in front of her face, bracing herself for the claws and teeth that would soon sink into her skin.

They never came. Sissel moved her hands down and opened her eyes. She watched as a figure in all black skillfully used two daggers to kill the wolf in a single blow. Her eyes widened as the blood sprayed the mysterious person, who acted like this was nothing new. Her eyes darted downwards and she noticed a tail sticking out of the black outfit. A scaled tail.

_An Argonian! _Sissel inwardly gasped.

The mysterious Argonian kicked the now dead wolf away as if it were a common piece of trash. The figure turned towards Sissel. Sissel froze, eyes were wide with fear.

"Are you alright?" The masked lizard asked.

Sissel took a moment to take in the appearance of the lizard before her. The lizard wore pure black armor that had elaborate markings and designs. There was a black cape that hung on the lizards back and a hood and mask that shielded the lizards face from her. The outfit was quite gorgeous.

Sissel opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.

The masked lizard tilted their head to the side. She seemed to be examining Sissel. The lizard slowly reached their hands up and pulled the hood and mask to their armor down.

Sissel blinked a few times as she absorbed the details of the lizards face, who she was now sure was a female. It shocked her that the lizard was so beautiful. She had heard such awful things about their kind and just assumed they were gross looking monsters. The lizard before her was no monster at all. She had brown eyes that seemed to absorb in every detail around them with dangerous looking slits for pupils. Her eyebrows consisted of three small horns pointed upward. Her scales were a beautiful dark blue that almost appeared black in the growing darkness. On her head were two horns. On each horn was a silver ring with rectangular cloth the hanging off of them. They were the color of dried blood.

The lizard knelt down before the little girl. "Are you alright?" She asked once more, her tone soft. With each word she spoke Sissel saw the lizards pointed teeth.

"Y-yes." Sissel answered with a shaky voice.

"Don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you." The lizard stuck out her hand. "My name is Meri, whats yours?"

"Sissel." She shook Meri's hand.

"Sissel. That's a beautiful name for a beautiful girl." Meri said with a toothy grin. "How old are you?"

"T-ten."

"Ten? Do you have any weapons?"

"N-no."

"No?" The lizard raised an eyebrow. "No weapons? What is a little girl doing out here with no weapons at this hour?"

"I... I know magic." Sissel said quietly, wanting to avoid the question.

"Oh? Would you care to show me some of you magic then?" Meri seemed curious.

"Okay!" This perked the girl up. She never got to openly practice her magic since everyone in Rorikstead had it in their heads that magic was evil. Everyone except Jouane, that is.

Sissel held up her hand and focused her mind with little effort. Within the next few seconds a blue, slightly transparent snow saber cat appeared.

"That's your familiar, isn't it?"

"Yes." Sissel nodded proudly.

The cat prowled protectively around the two, looking out for any nearby danger. After a couple of minutes it eventually faded away.

"That's very impressive, especially for a ten year old girl." Meri smiled.

"I can do more! I can conjure a dagger and even raise a zombie!" Sissel was eager and happy when she spoke. It was true she could do all of this. Jouane would often take her outside the town and have her raise foxes and rabbits back from the dead. "Oh! And I can use a muffle, calm, courage, and fury spell too!" She held her head high, loving that she was able to impress someone for once in her life.

"Really? That's amazing! So you're skilled in Conjuration and Illusion magic. Can you do anything else?"

Sissel looked down and hesitated before she answered. "Well... I... I can make a small flame. I want to do more but Jouane says that Destruction magic is bad so I don't have anyone to teach me anything else." She looked up at the lizard. "But I know I can do it. If someone would just show me I know I could do it. I can feel it. I feel it when I'm near my father. My sister too."

"Destruction magic can be very dangerous... but when used by a skilled hand it is quite beautiful." Meri nodded, carefully watching the little girl. "I'm not very good at it myself but I can do the basics. I prefer to use Conjuration magic. I know several skilled wizards though that would kill to teach someone as talented as you."

Sissel looked down at the ground. "I don't want to learn at the college. I don't like their rules..." she mumbled.

Meri let out a soft chuckle. "A lot of people have a problem with them."

"And the Arch-Mage is some old man... I'm tired of learning from old men. They only hold me back!" Sissel didn't know what had gotten into her. She never opened up like this.

Meri gave a sad smile. "Actually... he died. You're looking at the Arch-Mage."

Sissel blinked a few times. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't... I mean I-"

Meri held up a hand. "Don't worry about it. There is no reason to apologize – you simply spoke your mind."

"Could you teach me magic?" Sissel looked up at her with hopeful eyes.

Meri studied the little girl for a moment and appeared to be in deep thought.

"I promise I won't be a burden!" Sissel plead.

"Tell me about your family." Meri said softly.

Sissel's hopeful eyes turned dark. "I hate them. The beatings are both the same from either one. They make my skin itch when I see them. My fingers tingle when they are near and I want... I want to... I... I don't know. I want to do something! Britte is my older twin but she bosses me around and beats me up when I don't listen to her. She won't even share her dresses when I only have this one! My father beats me because he says I don't do enough to help him out. He says I'm worthless. I want to leave. I want to be an adventurer like you!"

"How about we make a deal?" Meri reached into her pockets."Hold out your hands."

Sissel obeyed and held out her tiny hands.

Meri put four lock-picks in the girls left hand and a curved dagger in her right hand. The blade was black like the night but it seemed to have a sort of glow about it.

_It's enchanted... _Sissel thought with amazement.

"I'm not going to tell you how to use these items. I want you to go home and decide what to do with them. In fact, you don't have to use them at all if you don't want to. Just go to your home and think about what you want to do with these items. You can use one, both, or neither. When you make your decision, do what you want and come back to me. I will be waiting for you in the shadows." Meri said with a sly grin. "And whatever you do, do not worry. You will not be in any trouble. Just come tell me what you decided to do and I'll take you somewhere to learn magic. Sound like a deal?"

Sissel looked at the items in her hands. The lock-picks interested her but not as much as the dagger. It was almost as if the dagger was calling to her.

"Deal."

"Good. I'll be waiting for you to return." Meri quickly pulled her hood and mask up and disappeared into the shadows before Sissel could utter another word.

Sissel looked around for any sign of her new friend but found none. Sissel took a deep breath and put the lock-picks in her pocket and carefully hid the dagger in her sleeve, just in case anyone saw her as she was returning home.

The sky was pitch black now and the moon was full. Sissel knew her father and sister would be fast asleep by now. There was no way they would hear her enter the house. She now only had to worry about someone leaving the inn catching her returning home so late. She headed down the hill, careful to keep her footsteps silent.

The trip there was uneventful, everyone was either asleep or in the inn getting drunk. She was able to slip inside her home without anyone seeing her. She wondered if Meri was watching her, though. She tried not to think about it.

Once inside her house she looked around. All the candles had been blown out so the only light available was coming from the moon through the window. Her house was small so Britte and her father had their beds upstairs with the kitchen while hers was downstairs. It was much colder there in the winter and there was often leaks when it rained.

_They don't want me. They never wanted me! Aren't fathers suppose to love their kids and protect them? Aren't sisters suppose to be supportive and caring? Why do they hit me then? Why do I have to be beaten for things that aren't my fault? It's not my fault!_

Sissel was becoming furious. Talking to Meri had cleared her head for some reason but she wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because someone had finally showed a real interest in her and her abilities. She had finally met someone she could be herself with – someone who promised her freedom. Someone who would saved her – someone who would protect her. This someone was a creature that she had grown up hearing such nasty things about. Well maybe not specifically her, but her kind.

_We're both outcasts..._

Sissel set the dagger down on their wooden table and pulled out the lock-picks, setting them beside the dagger. She silently pulled up a chair and sat down, carefully looking at each item. Meri had promised to take her away from here and take her to a place where she could learn magic. That meant this would be her final night in this house. In this awful town. Never again would she have to see another one of those awful faces that turned a blind eye to how her father and sister treated her. This was her last chance to tie up any lose strings she wanted to – _however_ she wanted to. She understood that now.

The young girl looked at the lock-picks. She could easily use them to open Britte's chest and take her dresses. It could be her chance to spit in her sisters face. Surely she had other precious things she could take. Things that would be missed. Her father had to have some in his chest as well. She could take their precious items and sell them. She could bask in the joy of knowing that they would never see the things they held dear to them again.

_It's not enough though. They would just get new items to replace the one's I took. They would only be upset for a little bit! _Sissel thought angrily.

_There is something more permanent you could take... _The thought seemed to be a hiss. That wasn't her own thought.

_W-what was that? That... that wasn't my own thought! _Sissel was a little panicked but she found her eyes moving to the dagger.

Sissel studied the dagger carefully and her fingers began to itch once more. She looked over at her sleeping family who had no idea what the young girl was planning. Her eyes went back to the dagger and she found herself carefully stroking the sharp blade. The dagger felt so natural in her hands.

_There _is_ something more permanent I could take. _Sissel thought darkly.

Sissel tightly gripped the dagger and shoved the lock-picks back in her pocket. She was going to cure the itching in her fingers once and for all.

Each of her steps was careful and silent, as she did not want to wake her father or Britte. Even if they did wake up it wouldn't have mattered. She had her plan and nothing was going to stop her. It would just be more fun if they were sleeping. She wanted to watch the horror enter their faces as they woke up with a blade in their chest.

She approached her father first. He was snoring rather loudly and the sound angered her for some reason. Frowning, she cut part of his blanket with the dagger and shoved it in the old man's mouth. The man's eyes opened with a start. He saw Sissel and she watched as anger enter his eyes. He reached to yank her downwards. Sissel stared at him with blank eyes and held the dagger up so that his hand hit it. He tried to scream but it was muffled by the makeshift gag Sissel had shoved in his mouth. Before he could do anything else she brought the dagger down on his chest with as much force as she could. She could practically feel the dagger as it was pushed through each layer of skin. It sent a shudder of joy through her. Blood was beginning to go everywhere but she didn't seem notice. Or maybe she just didn't care.

Sissel let out a little giggle and yanked the dagger free. She listened in joy at hearing her father's muffled screams. Blood was all over the place now. It was on her. It was on the bed. It was on the wall. It was on the floor. Sissel looked into her fathers eyes. They held only fear.

_Good! Now he understands! Now he understands the fear I felt when he would beat me! _Sissel's thoughts growled.

With all the force she could, she brought the dagger down again. This time it hit his stomach. Blood was everywhere again. She yanked the blade up once more. She met her fathers eyes again but didn't look away this time. She wanted to watch the life fade from his eyes while he died. She brought the blade down again and it landed in his throat. Blood hit her face but she didn't even so much as blink. She didn't want to miss a single moment of this. She watched as the life slowly faded out of his fearful eyes.

The sight of him was pitiful really.

Sissel looked over at her sister. Her twin. She was beginning to wake up.

_Good. I want her to see! _Sissel smirked.

Britte began to sit up, rubbing her eyes. "You brat! Why are you waking me u-" Britte stopped mid-sentence as she opened her eyes and looked at the sight before her. Her were wide and her jaw hung open. "Daddy!" She yelled. Her head whirled around to Sissel. "You!" She pointed a finger at her. "You did this! You monster!" Britte began screaming.

Sissel grew annoyed at the sound. Besides, it might attract attention and she didn't want her fun to end until she was done.

Sissel hit her sister in the face, shocking Britte into silence.

"You... y-you... I won't let you get away with this!" Britte whimpered, standing up.

"You can't stop me." Sissel hissed.

Britte took a step back, shocked at Sissel's dark tone of voice. She opened her mouth to scream for help once more but was hit in the face again. This time she spat up blood.

"No one is going to help you! Everyone turns a blind eye to our family. You should know that better than anyone since you always got away with beating me." Sissel sneered.

Britte just looked at her with a terrified expression.

Before either of them knew it, Sissel was stabbing Britte repeatedly. Britte started screaming with each stab and Sissel didn't even try to stop her. When their father beat he would scold her if she cried. She was never suppose to make a sound. It was only right that he died unable to utter a single scream. Britte always seemed to bask in her cries. So it was only right that Sissel do the same now.

Slowly her screams faded away and Britte's body fell limp. All life was gone from her eyes.

Sissel decided to admire her work. There was blood everywhere. The blankets and beds were soaked in it. It had splattered and stained the walls. Her fathers blood had dripped and poured out onto the floor. Britte lay on the ground in a pool of her own. Sissel was covered in it herself. He red dress was covered in dark stains and her face was caked in the blood of her family. She looked at her hands and found she couldn't find any skin not soaked in blood. She began to admire the dagger next. It was coated in blood like everything else but the way the moon's light hit the dagger... it looked beautiful.

She looked at her father next. He had been old in life but for some reason he looked even older now. His eyes had paled from the lack of life in them now. His clothes were dark from all the blood and his body was hanging off the bed slightly. He reminded Sissel of a rag doll with holes.

Her attention turned to her twin next. Britte always had longer, more beautiful hair. According to all the people in town anyways. They all talked about Britte like she was some sort of divine being! Now she was curled up in a heap on the ground in her own filthy blood. Her once "beautiful" blond hair was now stained with red.

The red made them ugly, but it made Sissel beautiful.

_Red... I like that color..._ Sissel thought to herself.

Sissel knew she couldn't stay here much longer. Surely a guard had heard her sister scream. It was only a matter of time before one of them showed up.

She quickly left her house and ran back to the spot that she had left Meri at.

_Should I call out for her? _Sissel wondered. She was still here, wasn't she? Sissel began to panic a little.

"You made your choice, I see."

Sissel nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned around and saw Meri, her hood and mask still up.

"Y-yes. A-am I in trouble?" Sissel whimpered.

Sissel was back to her timid self once more. Meri found it kind of adorable.

Meri had Sissel from a distance, just to make sure she stayed safe. She had also paid off the guards so they would turn a blind eye towards that house for the night. It wasn't like they were going to tell her no, they never did. The sack of gold didn't hurt either. One guard had even whispered "hail Sisthis

"Of course not!" Meri chuckled. "The Night Mother told me that I should come her tonight and so I did. I now understand why she wanted me here. Do you know who the Night Mother is, Sissel?"

Sissel shook her head.

"I see. Well, no matter! You will understand everything in time. Are you ready to go home?"

_Home? I... I can't go home! I jus-_

Meri seemed to sense her confusion and interrupted her thoughts. "I do not mean back there." She pointed the town. "I mean with me. You have a family waiting for you and they will be more than pleased to meet you."

"A family?" Sissel's brows furrowed in confusion.

"Yes. A family." Meri held out a hand. "All will make sense in time. For now, I just need you to trust me. Can you do that?"

"Yes." Sissel answered without hesitation, taking Meri's hand.

"Good. When we get there you will be asked a question. All you need to do is say 'innocence, my brother.'"

Sissel nodded. "Okay."

"Alright, are you ready?" Sissel could practically hear the lizards smile.

"Yes... may... may I ask something first?"

"Of course."

"What kind of armor are you wearing?"

"Nightingale."

"Night-in-what?"

Meri chuckled once more. "It's not important. Come, we have a long journey ahead of us. We'll go to my home, it's not too far from here. I can make the trip in no time. There we can rest and take my carriage to Dawnstar. Sound alright to you?"

Sissel nodded.

"Good."

Without warning Meri picked Sissel up and cradled her. "Sleep." Meri whispered.

"A-alright." Sissel wanted to argue but she didn't have it in her. She was so worn out from today's events. "Where are we going?"

"Dawnstar."

As Meri began walking Sissel quickly fell asleep.

The journey took about a total of six days and was mostly uneventful. When they arrived at Meri's house Sissel was allowed to wash up and Meri provided her with several clean and brand new dresses to choose from. Sissel ended wearing beautiful gray dress. Meri had also taken the time to cook them up a huge meal. Sissel had never seen so much food or even food as remotely good as the kind Meri made. She had cooked them up some horker loaf and steamed mudcrab legs with some cooked carrots on the side. Meri even made them both some potato soup to go along with the meal! When they had finished that, Sissel didn't think she could eat another bite. However, she proved herself wrong when Meri brought out some sweet rolls and Jazbay crostata. It was the best dessert Sissel had ever tasted.

They didn't stay long at Meri's house, however. Meri promised Sissel she could come back whenever she wanted, though. Meri had made some more food for their journey, making plenty of sweets for Sissel. Sissel found it kind of funny how a woman who appeared to be dangerous and cunning loved something such as cooking. When Sissel asked about it, Meri told her food was something everyone should enjoy.

The man driving the carriage seemed nice enough to Sissel. He allowed her to pet the horse before they left and even told her stories of all kinds of places. He seemed to be rather cheerful but Sissel figured it was because he was a carriage driver. Who wouldn't be cheerful when they got to see the world?

Sissel also got to watch Meri fight off a few wolves, trolls, and bandits on their journey but that was about it. Sissel was mostly able to enjoy all the different sights around her as the carriage took them to Dawnstar.

She had never seen any place except Rorikstead and it was so dull. She loved how the environment changed as they traveled. Some areas were covered in snow for miles on end with no trace of people anywhere nearby. Some areas were rocky and rough but were home to plenty of caves. She wondered what was inside them. Some areas where peaceful and beautiful. They were home to quite ponds and beautiful flowers. Meri warned her that those areas were usually home to Spriggans though. Meri even shared a few of her own adventures when they passed by places that she recognized. The most interesting adventure had involved a vampire named Serana. It was so amazing that Sissel wondered if it was all even true.

When they reached Dawnstar it was night. The town was silent but Sissel could tell that the people here probably didn't welcome strangers with welcome arms.

"We're almost there, Sissel. We have to walk the rest of the way but it isn't too far from here."

"Do you own a house here?"

"Sort of."

Sissel's brows furrowed.

Meri laughed. "Do you remember what I told you to say when we got there?"

"Innocence, my brother."

"Good."

Meri grabbed Sissel's hand and led her through the town. Sissel wondered what house was Meri's but grew even more confused when they walked by all the homes. They were now walking along a shore line to an area that seemed to be an odd spot for a house.

They soon reached a door.

Sissel blinked at it's terrifying appearance. She found it odd that it had such a welcoming feel about it, despite how it looked.

Meri nudged her forward.

Sissel slowly approached the door.

"_What is life's greatest illusion?" _The door spoke, it's voice was almost a whisper but it seemed to echo in Sissel's ears.

Sissel swallowed. _This is what Meri was talking about, wasn't it? _"Innocence, my brother." Her voice was quite but the door appeared to hear her.

"_Welcome home."_

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**A/N: So, what did you guys think? Yeah, it was kind of rushed but I didn't want it to drag on since this is only a one-shot. I guess it wasn't _too_ eventful but still... Leave me a review and let me know what you thought! No flames though please! Oh and for those who know who Sissel is... I honestly believe that girl would have probably killed her father and sister eventually anyways. If you kill her father you get a letter at some point saying that she knows what you did but won't tell anyone and that he won't be missed. I mean, c'mon! And it is actually hinted that she is beaten since Sissel does really say that the beatings are the same from both her sister and father.**


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